Posted by Gail D on March 12, 2007 at 15:11:04:
In Reply to: Do you really need an agent? fw5 posted by JamesD on March 09, 2007 at 14:04:53:
: An interesting discussion you're been having here about agents, but do you really need an agent to get published? Why not just send your novel to a publisher? Doesn't an agent take some of your profits forever - as long as your book is selling?
You do need an agent, at least for novels. The publishing business is in shambles because of the buyout frenzy that has created chaos in the publishing world. Big companies have been buying out all the small publishers that used to help new authors get started so now the literary agents have become the filter, the ones who are actually deciding who and what gets published.
Here's how it generally works: an unpaid reader at a literary agency pores over the thousand of unsolicited queries and decides which ones to pass on the "real" agent. The unpaid reader (usually it's a she, a recently graduated English major) has been given a vague set of guidelines, but it basically comes down to whether she likes it or not.
If that discourages you from sending out unsolicited queries, don't let it. If you have an interesting subject and you've taken your novel to a good writing class or an unbiased writing workshop and have used their feedback to make your book better and better with each new draft, chances are you will get it published. It's just a matter of finding an agent who likes your subject and your writing style.